NAU Women’s Tennis Returns to Big Sky Finals With 4-0 Victory Against Portland State

PHOENIX, Ariz. (May 1, 2021) – Both of Northern Arizona's seniors had a hand in clinching points during Saturday morning's Big Sky Conference semifinal against the Portland State Vikings, sending the Lumberjacks back to the title match.
 
Alongside sophomore Mimi Bland, senior Ellie Millard closed out the No. 1 doubles match on her serve to give NAU the early lead before senior Madi Moore finished off the 4-0 victory with her 6-4, 6-4 win on Court 6.
 
With the win, the Lumberjacks (13-4) will face off with the Weber State Wildcats (8-10) for the second time in two weeks. Weber State handed Big Sky North Division Champion Eastern Washington a 4-2 loss to advance to the finals, setting up the rematch with NAU. The schools met in Flagstaff on April 17, with the Lumberjacks winning 6-1.
 
Moore's clincher at No. 6 joined victories by Millard at No. 3 and freshman Gina Dittmann on Court 1. Carrying over the adrenaline from her doubles victory, Millard cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory on Court 3 to put the Lumberjacks ahead 2-0.
 
Dittmann continued her impressive freshman season for the Lumberjacks with her first career postseason victory, 6-3, 6-3 over fellow freshman Capucine Sanoner at No. 1, putting the Lumberjacks on the brink of victory.
 
Fellow freshman Ava Neyestani closed in on the victory two courts over, leading 6-4, 4-1, but Moore beat her to the victory at No. 6. It was the second time in as many matches that Moore clinched the team victory, also doing so on Court 6 against Grand Canyon in last Friday's 4-0 victory.
 
"Similar to Ellie, she showed some experience and grit on the court," NAU head coach Ewa Bogusz said of Moore. "She knew exactly what she had to do and she executed it 100 percent. She just worked hard and made every point hard for her opponent. That was how she won that match today. I couldn't be happier that it was her again."
 
While singles went relatively smoothly for the Lumberjacks, winning the first set on five of six courts, a split in the first two doubles matches created some drama early on.
 
A 6-1 victory for Dittmann and Elinor Beazley put the Lumberjacks in front before Portland State evened the score. Bland and Millard found themselves behind at 4-3 before trading games and standing a game away from dropping the match.
 
Bland won on serve to even the match at 5-5, earning the deciding point of the game, before the pairing recorded a crucial break to take control of the match. Millard closed it out on serve as the Lumberjacks rattled off three straight games to clinch the early lead. 
 
"They just showed so much experience in crunch time," Bogusz said. "They elevated their tennis level and elevated their energy. The two together, they played amazing."
 
Millard also helped clinch the doubles point against Southern Utah during the 2019 Big Sky semifinals, while also winning her three other matches during the weekend en route to Northern Arizona's team title.
 
"She has the experience and she has the competitiveness to just leave everything on the court," Bogusz said. "That definitely played a huge role, along with Mimi who is so experienced in doubles as well. Once it came down to No. 1, with how tight it was, I knew they were going to be fine."
 
NAU's title defense against Weber State begins at 8 a.m. Sunday morning at the Phoenix Tennis Center with fans welcome to attend provided they wear masks while in the facility. A victory over the Wildcats would send the Lumberjacks to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history, and second time in as many opportunities following 2020's cancellation.
 
For updated scores and coverage of the NAU women's tennis team at the Big Sky Conference Tournament, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
 
Match Results:
Doubles:

1. Ellie Millard/Mimi Bland (NAU) def. Capucine Sanoner/Makoto Ohara (PSU) 7-5*
2. Elinor Beazley/Gina Dittmann (NAU) def. Lotti Meszaros/Emily Rees (PSU) 6-1
3. Ashley Ramirez/Gerda Upeniece (PSU) def. Madi Moore/Ava Neyestani (NAU) 6-1

*Clinched Doubles Point | Order of Finish: (2, 3, 1)
 
Singles:

1. Gina Dittmann (NAU) def. Capucine Sanoner (PSU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Mimi Bland (NAU) vs. Lotti Meszaros (PSU) 6-1, 4-6, 1-1 unfinished
3. Ellie Millard (NAU) def. Makoto Ohara (PSU) 6-1, 6-1
4. Ava Neyestani (NAU) vs. Emily Rees (PSU) 6-4, 4-1 unfinished
5. Elinor Beazley (NAU) vs. Ashley Ramirez (PSU) 4-6, 4-5 unfinished
6. Madi Moore (NAU) def. Gerda Upeniece (PSU) 6-4, 6-4**

**Clinched Match | Order of Finish: (3, 1, 6)